Knotfest Roadshow – Heavy Metal Mayhem in Camden

What has become a tradition, Slipknot once again brought their traveling Metal circus to the Philadelphia area. This year’s line up had a special European flavor with Behemoth, Gojia, and Volbeat providing a Metal Musical Spectacle for the ages.

Behemoth performing at the Knotfest Roadshow in Camden,NJ on 08.31.19

Kickstarting the show was the blackened death metal band Behemoth hailing from Poland. Opening bands get the toughest spot as sometimes playing to a filling venue, not these guys the Behemoth fans were already inside waiting for their leader Adam “Nergal” Darski to slink out on the stage in full medieval themed attire. The rest of the band as well as the stage was decked out like a scene from Dracula movie set. Do openers get pyrotechnics? On the Knotfest tour they do. Massive amounts!! Behemoth was the perfect selection to get the banging started.

After washing down the stage from the Behemoth performance (not really), France’s GOJIRA took the stage to a simple backdrop and extensive use of light, laser, and fog. The brothers Joe Duplantier [vocals, guitar] and Mario Duplantier [drums], along with Christian Andreu [guitar], and Jean-Michel Labadie [bass] kept the night in high gear with a massive sound. The facial snarls from Joe added extra emphasis to lyrics which kept the crowd’s fists and head pumping.

VOLBEAT took the stage next, hailing from Denmark, they are the most “traditional” band on the tour. The band has been more “radio” friendly than the other groups and the sound they produce is rock operatic. The band is very used to large audiences having already played to over 48,000 in their home country. Volbeat’s closed their set with their most popular song “Still Counting”

As the house lights dimmed, and the familiar ringing of AC/DC’s For those about to Rock: filled the BB&T Pavilion, the Slipknot curtain slowly waved, increasing with the rhythm until it was finally pulled up to reveal an industrial apocalyptic stage set. As the various band members played in unison but also moved across the stage almost eyeing their victims (fans). Cory Taylor took center stage dressed as an anti PT Barnum with his cast of characters behind him.

The stage and dress of the members were over the top. It was an Attention Deficit Disorder’s wet dream. Each song was performed with such theatrical enthusiasm it was like as if Disney World went Metal! Touring behind their new release We Are Not Your Kind, which was included in ticket purchases gave the Slipknot fans just what they have been craving. Speaking of the fans, they mirrored the players with various costumes and masks which showed tremendous dedication and added to the overall ambiance of the day. Playing a massive 18 song set, the band put a lot of effort into this tour and you could tell the crowd appreciated every note.